Miracle Girl
by Lily Desdemona Potter
Summary: AU S3 onwards. Where there is the Destroyer there is the Scourge. Darla had more then one baby, twins. What can happen now? And is Angel able to handle a daughter who takes after him in more then just appearance? How will things play out with Connor and..
1. Chapter 1: Lullaby

**Miracle Girl**

**Chapter 1: Lullaby **

**June 17th 2002:**

Darla is standing on top of a building looking over the city below, her hands cradling her pregnant belly. The world was such a complicated place. So much evil lived in it, so much more then she remembered when she herself was human. She sighs, letting a tear fall as she realizes what she is letting her child come into, what is going to happen to her. She won't be able to love him the way she should, love her the way she should. Closing her eyes she opened them and looks behind her from the peripheral of her vision. She knew he stood behind her and she wasn't surprised to see her boy.

"You always did love a view." Darla smiles despite herself and chuckles.

Shaking her head Darla speaks, her eyes sad. "Look at it. Listen to it. Can you smell it? This world. This horrible world. Why would anyone want to bring a baby into it?" Angel looks at his sire in slight shock. He had never really known her to speak of such things in such kindness for lake of better word. She had never been concerned with the way the world was drowning in the monsters and evil, they used to be the evil.

"To make it better, maybe?" he suggested.

"Or to destroy it finally." Angel sighs, put out by the words she spoke. He didn't know if he was really expecting anything less from Darla.

"Why is it everyone insists on planning my children's future before he's even born?" he asks. Darla turns and walks past where Angel is standing, rolling her eyes as she goes.

"Alright then, how's this? It doesn't have a future. Not with me." The words shock Angel and hurt Darla more then she wants to admit. The chance that she could never be in her babies future, to help guide them but she knows. Even if her sweet Angel doesn't understand she knows once these babies leave she won't be able to love them. She'll only be able to kill them. Angel follows her, stunned by her admission.

"Darla..." he trails off, interrupted by Darla.

"Angel, I can't have this baby," Darla says, turning around and looked up into his brown eyes. She hopes one of her children have those eyes, but at the same time she doesn't. She remembers what those eyes were like when he was Angelus and though she is only living with her childrens soul she doesn't want to think of them becoming like that.

"What?"

"I can't let it out. I-I can't."

Angel shakes his head, slightly amused. He responds, grinning. "Okay, not sure you have a lot of choice in the matter..." Darla shakes her head and cuts her childe's speech off.

"Look, I know. They wants to come out. I can feel it. their ready. It's just - I can't let it. I can't let because... because..." she trails off, looking anywhere but into his eyes.

"You love them," Angel says, slightly shocked by the revelation. He had never though his sire could love anything, but it seemed she was proving him wrong once again. Darla smiled, rubbing her belly and nodded.

"Completely. I love them completely. I-I-I don't think I've ever loved anything as much as this life that's inside of me," she admitted.

"Well - you've never _loved_ anything, Darla." Darla snorted, not even bothering to sound lady like.

"That's true. Four hundred years and I never did - till now. - I don't know what to do." Her eyes teared over but she shook it off.

"Well, you-you'll do the only thing that you can do. - You'll have it. You'll have it and then..." Angel trailed off, looking into the bright baby blue eyes of Darla.

"What? We'll raise it?" she asked a sardonic smile plastered on her face. He sighed, he knew that smile and her nodded nonetheless.

"Why not?" he asked.

"It's impossible." He would find out soon enough, she reasoned. Angel looked at the woman who made him and blinked wondering what she was getting at.

"This whole thing is impossible, Darla, but it's happening." he reminded her.

"What do I have to offer a child, a _human_ child, besides ugly death?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Darla."

"You know it's true," she spat back looking into his dark eyes. For once in a over fifty years – as she had lost count of the exact number since Angelus had gotten his soul back – she regretted ever sending him away. He had come to her and she kicked him away, like a bag of trash. Maybe it was her children soul talking – and she was sure it was – but she liked this version of her boy. She would miss him. For once she would miss Angel.

"No. What I do know is that you love these baby, our babies. You've bonded with it. You've spent nine months carrying them, nourishing them..." he argued.

Darla shook her head and responded. "No. No, I haven't been nourishing it. I haven't given these babies a thing. I'm dead. It's been nourishing me. These feelings that I'm having, they're not mine. They're coming from them."

"You don't know that!" Angel said. Inside though he knew there was some truth in what she said. Darla laughed bitterly.

"Of course I do! We both do. Angel, I don't have a soul. they do. And right now that soul is inside of me, but soon, it won't be and then..." she shook her head as she trailed off.

"Darla..."

"I won't be able to love it. I won't even be able to remember that I loved it -" Darla starts to cry as she tries to deny the truth. "- I want to remember." Angel pulls her against him.

"Shh..." Angel closes his eyes as he holds a crying Darla. Darla sniffles and pulled back some and looking up into her childe's eyes she lets all her emotions show through her eyes. For once Angel is shocked to see no deception, only real emotion from the woman.

"I'm sorry, for everything," she whispered, and Angel smiled. He nodded and kissed her forehead. It was a show of emotion that he didn't remember ever passing through them in the past.

"Katherine." Angel looked down at the blonde confused.

"What?" he asked.

"Katherine, for the girl. I want to name her Katherine, we..you can call her Kitty," Darla told him, her voice slightly weak. Angel smiled, it was a Irish name, a good strong one as well. It was a form of his sisters name and he liked the nickname since he didn't think he'd be able to call his daughter his sisters name. Especially since he had killed his sister so cruelly.

"Is there a special reason?" he asked. Darla blinked and nodded, almost hesitantly.

"Yes, I think Katherine was my real name. Its been so long, but when I saw the name or hear it I get feelings. It might have been a form of Katherine; Katherina, Katrina, Katerina...I'm not sure. I want the name to live on," she told him. He was shocked but nodded none the less. His mind made up, his daughter would be called Katherine Anne.

**††††††††††**

Lorne stared at Cordelia in surprise and shock. Shaking his head he yelled. "Here? She wants to have it here? Well, that's just a terrible idea. Can't you see I'm working my tush off trying to get ready for a grand re-opening? -" He turns and To a girl carrying a big jar. " - Uh, ah, Gorsh entrails behind the bar next to the Maraschinos. I can't have _baby_ here! I just had the booth simonized." he complains. Cordelia sighs and nods.

"Lorne, what do you want us to do? Tell Angel and Darla that they're not welcome here?" she asks.

"No. No, of course not. Caritas is and will always be a Sanctuary. That is if _some_ people ever finish the work they promised to have done three days ago. How's the job coming, Arnie?" he yells back behind him.

"I think we'll have up on her feet by the time you open tomorrow night."

"New security system?" Gunn asks, from Cordelia's side. Lorne turns back around and nods.

"Yeah, routes the new sanctuary spells together to prevent both human and demon violence, Creating a totally carnage free Caritas," he explains.

"But, ah, balancing that interspecies flux, a little trickier than I expected." Lorne takes the leaflet Arnie is working from away from him.

"Uh-huh. That's not the only thing that's tricky around here. You hum while you work." Lorne snaps.

"Yeah, so?" Arnie asks.

"So? I just read you, buster! Which connection are you leaving unconnected to milk this job?"

"You're questioning my work ethic?"

Lorne rolls his eyes and shakes his head before replying. "No, I'm firing you! Get out. Out. Git. Go on." Lorne pushes Arnie towards the door.

"Hey, I'm union. You got to pay me for the full day."

"Out. I'll finish this myself. How hard could this be?" Lorne opens the leaflet, and Cordy and Gunn look at each other and sigh.

**††††††††††**

Angel and Darla are standing beside each other on the rooftop, each facing a different way. They had finally calmed down, or Darla had at any rate. She still had a bit of red around her eyes from her tears but other then that she was fine. She licked her lips before speaking.

"You won't let me hurt them, will you? You'll protect them, right? From me, I mean." Angel turns to answer his sire but before he can his cell phone rings and he answers it. Darla turning to look at him.

"Yeah." he states, looking at the mother of his children. It was a odd thought he never thought this could happen to him. Children, much less with Darla.

"We found a place," Wes says from the other end and Angel perks up.

"Is it safe?" he asks. Wes looks over at the host working on the equipment from where he is and shakes his head but not in disaproval just contentment.

"I'm sure by the time you get here it'll be safe as houses," Wesley replies.

"Okay. Try that." He hears Lorne in the background. Fred sighs and give Gunn a slight slap across the face.

"Nope, still not working."

"Okay. Ah. - Try it now." Fred slaps Gunn again.

"No!" Angel sighs from his end and turns sharply as Darla hunches over and leans against a post.

"Hey - Darla? We should - get going. I feel a storm coming. You okay? Another contraction?" Angel asks.

"No. It's something else." she says.

**††††††††††**

Wesley is pacing. Gunn is sitting in front of the bar, playing his gameboy. Cordy is sitting on a stool behind him, reading a magazine. Fred is sitting beside Lorne reading the leaflet, while Lorne is still messing with whatever magic-machine Arnie was installing.

"Okay. Okay. I'm _convinced_ I got it this time!" Lorne comments, a satisfied look on his face. Cordy sighs and smacks the back of Gunn's head.

"Ow!" Lorne scowls and takes the leaflet away from Fred

"Let me see that," he demands. Angel supports Darla as he's leading her down the stairs into Caritas.

"Just a few more steps. That's it. Okay. All right." Wesley walks over to them.

Angel looks up and speaks. "Guys. A chair. Chair." Wesley pulls a chair out for Darla.

"Jeez, what happened?" Gunn asks. Angel helps Darla into the chair as gently as he can.

"Easy," he says to her.

"Thanks." Gunn looks from Angel to Wesley. Angel motions with his head to the corner of the room and he and Wes walk away.

"You're welcome," Cordelia says to Darla, sending a disapproving look at Angel.

"You gave us quite a scare. - But - I guess you're used to that, what with being a scary thing and all," Fred said, almost nervously. thunder rumbling outside. Darla looks up and sighs.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about that. I don't know what got into me." Darla starts to laugh quietly to herself as she looks down at her belly.

"She's in a lot of pain," Angel says, quietly.

"How frequent are the contractions?" Wesley asks. Angel shrugs, thinking before replying.

"It's been... I don't know, maybe an hour?"

"An hour? She was well into the active stage of labor. I don't understand," Wesley states, shocked.

"I don't either. She just - stopped having them."

"But the pain she's experiencing?"

Angel looks over at said woman and sighs.

"She says she's experiencing something else," he answers.

"That's worrying," Wesley whispers. Nodding Angel thinks about what he discused with Darla on the roof. Darla suddenly hunches over with a moan of pain.

"Angel!" Cordy yells and Angel's head snaps up and he hurries to her side.

"Darla?" he asks.

"Angel!" she moans in pain.

"Let's get her into my bedroom. Come on," Lorne says. He and Angel help her up and lead her away.

"Easy. Easy now. Come on, sweetheart. We'll get you right in there," Lorne says, trying to ease Darla of her pain and fear. Fred looks down at the chair Darla was sitting on as notices a little puddle of dark blood on the seat. She breaths in shocked and puts a hand over her mouth.

**††††††††††**

"It's time to get to work," Sahjhan says. Holtz looks beside him and then turns back in front of him as he stares ahead.

"You found him then?" he asks. Sahjhan nods

"Tell him."

"Don't forget what we discussed," Arnie says as he looks at the two nervously. Sahjhan glares but nods.

"You'll get your money," he replies.

"I've heard that one before. You know, I've got mouths to feed. Plus a family. Some of them have mouths, too."

"Just tell him what you heard!" Sahjhan yelled. Arnie's eyes light up and he mimics Cordy.

"Lorne, what do you want us to do? Tell Angel and Darla they're not welcome here?" He stops for a moment and mimics Lorne) "No, of course not. Caritas is and always will be a sanctuary." Holtz looks at the demon and sneers but nods. So they were at Caritas, that would be where they would die.

**††††††††††**

Angel waits at the door as Wes and Fred check on Darla who is lying in Lorne's bed, then walk over to him.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Angel asks.

"She's tough as nails," Wesley answers him.

"And immortal, so that's, you know, in her favor - health wise," Fred admits.

"What about the baby?" Wes glances back at Darla, then walks out of the room. Angel follows him. Darla lifts her head and watches them leave.

"What? What is it?" he asks.

"Angel, I think you need to prepare yourself for the worst," Wesley says.

Angel shakes his head, looking back towards the room where Darla lays.

"No."

"The babies heartbeats is faint. Very faint," Wesley says, giving a stern yet serious and sad look to his friend.

"What do we do?"

"I'm not sure there is anything we can do. Darla's body - it's not a life-giving vessel. I don't know that it's equipped to do what it needs to do in order to bring a baby to term."

"So-so, what-what are you saying? We just let them die?" Angel asks.

"Ah, what about a c-section?" Cordelia asks. Fred shakes her head sad.

"Normally that's exactly what we'd do in this instance, but... the mystical forces that's been protecting the pregnancy..." Fred trails off as thunder rumbles outside.

"...is gonna end up killing them," Angel finishes for her.

"That's my fear," Wes admits. Angel sighs, and rubs his eyes

"This doesn't make any sense. I mean, this whole thing has been a miracle, right? You don't just get half a miracle, do you? - I mean, the powers - they brought her this far, they protected the baby all this time..." Angel argues trying to find a gray area. A way to save his children and even Darla if he could.

"We don't know that. We don't know that it's the powers that's been protecting it. Angel, I'm sorry, but what if what Darla's carrying _is_ the thing in the prophecies? That scourge of mankind that's supposed to plunge the world into ultimate darkness? - What if - what if what's happening to Darla _now_, what if that's the powers? Finally stepping up to the plate and doing something for once!" Gunn argues. Angel staring straight ahead.

"How? By killing my kids?" Angel walks towards Lorne's bedroom.

"Do you always have to be so damned honest?" Cordelia asks Gunn. Cordy reaches out to slap Gunn on the arm, but her hand is repelled by a by blue force field.

"What? Hey! Hey, it-it worked! I fixed it!" Lorne cheers, but the others continue to look glum.

"Ah, yay, me?" he asks, before shrugging.

Angel stands in the doorway of Lorne's bedroom and looks at Darla for a moment before walking over and sitting down on a chair beside the bed. Darla stirs, opens her eyes and looks at him.

"Hi. How 're you doing?"

"They've finally stopped kicking."

"Did they," he says, slightly worried. He leans forward and lays one hand on Darla's belly.

"I guess they figured they finally got your attention. - You called them a they - " With a slight smile at Darla he continues. " - I think that's the first time you've ever done that." Darla smiles but it fades and she lowers her head and looks at her round belly.

"They're dying, at least he is. I don't know about Kitty but I think she is more like us then he is. She doesn't seem to be dying at least not at the moment -" Angel's smile melts away, but he refuses to look away from her. "- Isn't he?" she asks about the boy and Angel wonders how and what she means about their daughter. He knew they were probably part vampire. So he could only assume her motherly bond let her know that their daughter had more of a vampire side then her brother. It made him a bit worried but he knew in the end everything would work out, at least he hoped it did.

"No." Darla looked at him and smirked, shaking her head.

"You lied much better when you didn't have a soul. - I can feel the life slipping away from me," she admitted.

"Then don't let it. You have to fight for this. - Please."

"I don't know how. My boy." She strokes her belly. "My darling boy. - I told you I had nothing to offer this kid. Some mother, can't even offer it life," she says, tears in her blue eyes.

**††††††††††**

In a back alley lit by Chinese lanterns; Angel breaks through into it from Lorne's bedroom. Wooden shards fly as he enlarges the opening. Cordy steps through it, followed by Wes, Fred, Gunn and Lorne. Then Angel half carries Darla through it

"No. No. Go on. I can't. It doesn't matter anyway," she mutters.

"I'm not leaving you, alright? Easy. Alright," he says and pulls out his keys and tosses them towards the others.

"Go get my car. It's out front." He lowers Darla to the ground and crouches down beside her.

"I got you," he tells her, smiling and pushing some of her blonde hair back. Cordy makes move to join him.

"Go!" he yells. All of them turn and hurry off; Lorne is holding to pieces of cardboard over his head to keep some of the rain off himself, but after a few steps Fred stops and runs back to crouch beside Angel and Darla.

"Fred, go with them," Angel told her. Fred shakes her head and smiles.

"It's okay. They'll come back for us."Angel sighs but takes off his jacket and slings it around Fred's shoulders.

"You're gonna be okay," Angel says, looking into Darla's eyes. Darla smiles and laughs almost biterrly.

"No. No, I don't think so. Once he's gone, I won't be okay. I won't be okay at all. - I don't know what I'll be. - Angel... Our babies are gonna die right here in this alley. - You died in an alley, remember?" she cries.

"I remember."

"I wanna say I'm sorry. I wanna say it and mean it, but - I can't. - Aren't you gonna tell me it's okay?"

"No."

Darla looks at him and then snorts and nods.

"No? It's really not, is it? We did so many terrible things together. So much destruction, so much - pain. - We can't make up for any of it. You know that, don't you?" she asks.

"Yeah," he admits after a moment.

"These children - Angel, it's the one good thing we ever did together." Angel lifts Darla's hand between both of his and pressed it against his lips.

"The only good thing." Angel buries his face in his hands, still holding onto Darla's, and takes a sobbing breath Darla smiles and lets tears wash over her face as she chuckles to herself.

"You make sure to tell them that," Darla says before holding one of the splinters of wood and buries it in her chest, gasping. Angel lifts his head and stares as Darla turns to dust. Where Darla was there is now two naked human infants lying in the rain, crying. Angel carefully gathers up the babies and smiles at them realizing that the one that landed closest to him, Katherine was most likely the oldest. Holtz steps through the hole in Lorne's wall into the alley. Lifts the crossbow and aims it at Angel as Angel slowly stands up, cradling the crying infants.

Fred hands Angel's jacket back to him and he wraps it around the infants, thankfully they are both rather small. Holtz is watching them over his crossbow. Angel slowly turns his head and sees Holtz. For a moment they just look at each other. A Grapplar appears at the mouth of the alley behind. Angel looks from it to the babies - that has quieted down - to Holtz. Angel's car pulls up behind two Grapplars at the other end of the alley and Wes gets out. Holtz slowly lowers his crossbow, still looking at Angel cradling the infant against his chest. After a moment Angel slowly walks past Holtz, Fred clinging to his right arm. Holtz watches as Angel and Fred pass between the two Grapplars.

"Do it! Now's your chance. Do it! Finish it while you still can! You can't just let him walk away! Not now! Not after what you swore to me!" Sahjhan yells. Holtz watches as Fred and Angel get into the car, and turns to glare at Sahjhan before glaring at the retreating car.

"I swore that I would show no mercy. And I won't."

**††††††††††**

**A/N: So what do you all think? This story has been in my head for a while now. I hope to get a good start on it before trying to finish Charmed and Dangerous once and for all. Anyways this is pretty much a rewrite of Season three onwards with the AU reality that Connor has a sister. She will be portrayed by Summer Glau and I will get some pictures up on my Profile soon enough so ya'll get a better image of her. She is different from Connor as Holtz wont be as kind to her as he is to Connor. I can't give much away about Katherine or Kitty or Angelis as Holtz renames her. Also to get this out of the way, Angelis is pronounced AN - jell - iss and is the feminine form of Angelus. I will ask if anyone wants someone other then Cordy to be possessed and have Jasmine? It can't be Kitty though. I probably won't wonder too far from canon there though. Anyways R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 2: Dad

**Miracle Girl**

**Chapter 2: Dad**

It has been a full day since the babies had been born. Katherine and her brother were cute babies though the team had a time clawing the babies away from Angel who was throwing off some major mama-bear vibes, or so Lorne had said. Now night had covered then Hyperion once again and everyone was trying to calm down and figure out ways to protect the twins. Wesley walks into his office, sighing before looking up noticing Angel.

"Angel, we could use your help when you're finished - changing the baby - who is being changed on my desk," he said, giving the baby and Angel and frustrated look.

"Sorry. I needed the space.

Wesley nodded, and with a bit of sarcasm responded. "Of course. And seeing as you once nearly had sex on my desk I shouldn't be surprised that now there is a baby on it."

"Hey! First of all that wasn't me, that was some guy who switched bodies with me. And second of all -" Angel cups his hands around the baby's ears, and drops his voice to a whisper. "can we keep the S E X talk away from the baby?" he asked. Wes steps closer and picks up the pack of diapers.

"Right, because the baby knows what that means...and I've been spending to much time around Cordelia." Wesley looked slightly put out at this and then shook his head to clear it before he looked over at the baby, the one without a name as of yet and then at Angel.

"Do you need help?" Angel looked at him nervous and shook his head.

"Ah, no, Wes. I know how to change a diaper - a normal one with pins. It's these newfangled fasteners," he said, glaring at the offending diaper.

"Did you know these diapers are lined with a space-age material originally designed for NASA astronauts? Hmm, interesting." Wesley puts the pack of diapers down. "Though now I'm picturing grown men in nappies and am rather disturbed."

Angel nodded and then smiled at his son clearly accomplished by his feet of fastening a diaper. "Ah, okay, got it," he says, then turns to the baby.

"You're all ready aren't you?" Angel wraps the baby back in its blanket and drops the bundled up, used diaper into Wes hand. Wes looks down at it. Angel picks up the baby and places him in a bassinet beside the desk before turning to Kitty and taking off her old diaper.

Angel: "Right. How's the list coming along?" Angel asks as he looks over at Wesley before returning to Katherine. He is much quicker with the diaper this time, understanding better how to put it on now. He smiles at the young girl who unlike her twin seems to have darker hairs sprouting and darker blue eyes. Possibly a sign they will eventually turn a dark brown like his own.

"Wes will you get him for me?" Wesley looks at the man he's known for over three years and nods before getting the baby boy out of the bassinet and placing him in Angel's willing hands. It's amazing how the master vampire can be so at ease with not one baby but two in his arms. They move out into the lobby where the others are waiting in front of a dry erase board. Wes drops the diaper on the counter top as he walks past.

"We've divided it into two categories. Column one groups or individuals that we know pose a threat to the baby: Holtz, Wolfram & Hart, the vampire cult that attacked us at the hospital. Column two those that could pose a threat once they get wind of the baby." Angel nods and read aloud and raises a eyebrow.

"Order of Phillius, Beltar the Cremator, - Frank?" The list also has a 'Piper Beast' and 'The Scourge' as potential threats.

"Local mobster, specializes in kidnapping," Gunn explains.

"Ah." Baby Connor begins to cry and Angel watches as Kitty looks over at her brother with a look he has seen on her mother, at least a baby version of it. He smirks inwardly but turns his attention onto Connor. "What, what, what? What is it? You can't be wet again. I just changed you. Ah-hmm, are you hungry? I got a bottle all ready for you." Angel walks over to counter and looks around.

"Where did I put his bottle? I had a bottle all ready for him!" Angel cries, looking around at his friends with wide eyes. Cordelia sighs and hurries over, picks up the bottle and hands it to him.

"Really Angel, how about you let me have the quiet one and you can feed the little one. Maybe we can attempt to feed her," Cordelia suggest. Angel looks down at his children and realizes with a pang of regret that he can't feed Connor with Katherine in his arms as well. He nods and hesitantly lets Cordy take Kitty away from him before taking the baby bottle.

Cordelia grabs another bottle and tries to coercer Kitty into drinking. While Angel struggles with Connor.

"Okay. Here's your babba. Take your babba. You just take it like this" Angel lifts the bottle and makes sucking noises while everyone else tries to keep from laughing. "- and you drink, and you're happy." The baby continues to cry. Gunn comes over a grinn on his face.

"Angel, why don't you let me take him for a little while. I helped raise my cousin since she was about a week old." Cordy throws up her free hand asthe baby spits the formula all over her shirt.

"This child is evil, this is dry clean only!" Cordelia announces and Angel looks over with the rest of them. He shakes his head.

"She isn't evil! Maybe she just doesn't like it?" he suggests. Cordy looks at him and sighs.

"I didn't mean it like that Angel. She won't eat though, there has to be something..." Wesley hmm'd and left the room before Cordelia could finish and Cordy sighed and rocked Kitty in her arms.

""I-i can handle it." Angels walks away from Gunn, clutching Connor to himself. "Alright, so we got a list. All we have to do is erase everyone on it." Fred picks up a dry eraser:

"I can do that for you," Fred says, smiling.

"Ah, Fred..." Cordelia says, a amused smile on her face but it was wiped off once Kitty began to cry.

"What?" Fred asks as she stops erasing and turns to look at Cordy.

"Oh, you meant erase in a squish and kill violent kind of way. I'll just put that back." She chuckles and writes Holtz name back on the list. Angel, pacing and holding the bottle out to the crying baby while looking at Cordelia who is trying to get Kitty to stop crying as well.

"Come on, it's a nice babba. You wanna stop crying and take your babba, yes you do – please?" Cordy sighs as Angel attempts once again to get Connor to eat and almost smiles when he accepts if it wasn't for Katherine crying loudly and refusing to eat she just might.

"I have a suggestion. It may sound out landish and gross but it may be what she needs," Wesley announces as he enters the room with a baby bottle in his hand, wrapped in a washcloth so they could not see what was inside it. Everyone looks at Wesley in suspicion.

"I was thinking about what Angel said that Darla told him about Katherine. We all can assume the twins are half vampires and it can be assumed they got all the strengths, and none of the weaknesses. In his case I think this is true -" He nods in Connors direction and then turns back to Cordelia and Kitty. " - but not so much with Kitty. It is possible that while in the womb Katherine may have taken those weaknesses onto herself to save her brother. In other words while her brother for all intense and purposes may seem human except for the strength and the skills..."

"Kitty is a little vampire baby?" Cordy asks.

"She needs blood," Angel finishes for Wesley sending a agonizing look at his little girl. He couldn't help but blame himself, it must be hard for the young baby to be held by Cordy if what Wes said was true. Wesley nodded and removed the washcloth showing a thick blood red liquid inside the bottle. Everyone blanches and Angel sighs as Kitty looks at it and stops crying. He walks over to Cordy and smiles at her.

"Here finish feeding him and I'll handle Kitty." Cordelia smiles grateful for her friend and takes Connor at the same time as he takes Katherine. Angel takes the bottle from Wesley and hesitantly gives it to Kitty who's eyes turn gold like a vampires as she drinks.

**††††††††††**

"Well that was a thrilling evening. It's not like I've been waiting two hundred and fifty years for you to take your blood vengeance on Angel to have you just stand there and let him walk away!" Sahjhan raged. Holtz narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Why didn't you tell me Darla was pregnant?"

"Didn't matter. You were supposed to kill them both before she could have them."

"She sacrificed herself to save the child." It was something Holtz didn't think Darla was capable of, but then his own mother had done the same for him when he was born. The difference being his mother had died of natural causes in birth, Darla had staked herself.

"Yeah. Darla did your job for you. Well, at least one of them is dust."

"She got off easy. Angel's demise will be a great deal more painful." Sahjhan smirks at Holtz and chuckles bitterly.

"You know you throw around a lot of big words like death and pain and no mercy, but so far I haven't seen bupkus," he declares.

"Listen to me, Holtz, we got prophecies to fulfill. We don't need some deep, dark plan for Angel. You put a stake in him, you watch him go poof! It's a classic."

"Step one is getting rid of these minions," Holtz replies, smirking to himself. His plan would not only kill Angel in the end but but both emotionally and mentally if things went to plan.

"No. Step one is poof. And then there are no more steps. And we can't get rid of the Grapplars. I signed a two-week contract. - Trust me, you don't wanna piss these guys off."

"They're soulless beasts bred only to maim and kill." Sahjhan laughs, and nods.

"Ah! Maim and kill. Two more words I like. You're gonna need these guys - unless you're plan is to kill Angel with candy clowns and marshmallow pies." All the Grapplars are making choking noises. Sahjhan looks at them.

"What's happening?" he asks.

"I need more than mere fighters," Holtz answers, smiling in amusement.

"They're choking! Do you know the Heimlich? I can't do it in this dimension. My arms will go right through them. What did you do?"

"I poisoned their drink."

"Why?" Sahjhan yells, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Because I don't need mercenaries who will kill for anyone willing to pay their price. I need warriors who will die for my cause..." One remaining Grapplars charges Holtz from behind. Holtz kills him with a backwards thrust of his sword without ever taking his eyes off Sahjhan. "...like that," he finishes.

"Great. So step one is I'm stuck with four costly and dead demons. What's step two?" Holtz smiled slightly and continued walking, Sahjhan following behind him.

"Revenge," he states.

**††††††††††**

"They finally asleep?" Cordy asked as Angel came back into the lobby of the hotel. He nodded and sat down on the couch, running a hand through his hair. She chuckled.

"Harder then you expected huh?" she asked. Angel smiled and nodded as a blue flash lights up the hotel and everyone looks around.

"What was that?" Fred asks, looking around. Angel blinks and shrugs just as Lorne walks in.

"Oh, just listening to those Furies gives me whiplash! Thank god they finally left. My head was about to pop off. Which, granted, not that big a deal."

"That flash was their spell kicking in?" Wesley asks and Lorne nods.

"Yeah, they put a force field over the entire hotel. No one or thing can get in or out," he replies. Angel nods, breathing in and sighing in slight relief. For now everything was fine but how long would this keep his friends and children safe?

"So, the babies are safe? We're all safe. Right, Lorne? I-I mean unless one of those killers decides to throw in a fire bomb in at us like they did at your club, which had a similar safety spell around it as I recall. - Sorry," Fred stammered out blushing softly. Angel sighed and closed his eyes before opening them and looking at his green friend.

"She's right. they won't be safe here for long." Lorne sighs and speaks.

"Well, we can get out if we have to. I installed an emergency exit down in the sewers. A-a mystical barrier, opens and closes with a password." he turns to Fred. "Pylean word for hedgehog."

"Oh. - Oh!" Fred says and starts to laugh.

"I'm guessing it means something very different in English?" Gunn asks. Fred smiles and shrugs, a almost mysterious vibe coming from her.

"Well, we'll have to use it. The babies need to see a doctor," Cordy said, nodding as if agreeing with herself. Angel looks at her in shock, his brown eyes wide.

"What? They're not sick! Do they look sick?" he asked, almost hysterical. Cordelia sighed and shook her head, but raised a little baby book from where she was sitting.

"No. But they need their newborn checkup. The baby book says that he's supposed to have a vitamin K shot and a PKU test after he's born. Uh - are you gonna circumcise?" The baby starts screaming loudly from upstairs. Gunn chuckled.

"I think he heard you. Poor buddy boy," Gunn said. Angel smirked and shook his head amazed at the hearing rang of his son.

"From that distance?" Fred asked. Cordy laughed and shrugged, what she she really expect from Ange's son.

"Speaking of hearing things - are there any fluorescent lights in here? I keep hearing this hum. Plus, fluorescent - green light, green skin - it's all bad. - I'll take the blank stares as a big fat no." Angel continues to look at the weapons cabinet.

"Gunn? I'm gonna need some firepower," Angel says. Gunn looks at him and smiles wide.

"I'm getting the impression we're talking explosives here," Gunn stated more then asked. Angel smirked and nodded.

"No problem, I know some guys. Leave it to me." Angel nods and turns to Fred

"We get into the websites?" he asks. Fred looks at him with wide eyes and shakes her head.

"Not yet. Normally all we would have to do is hack into the e-mail and track the relays but - they're using re-mailers." Angel looks at her in confusion before asking.

"Which means?"

"Which means there is no direct id, it's going to take a little time..." Cordy trails off and Angel shakes his head realizing that Connor had stopped crying. Not that he had not realized this before, he had noticed Lorne had left to check on him moments before. Angel sighs and rubs his temples, wondering how much more stress he could take before the headache made his head explode.

"We don't have a little time. Are those all the names up there on the board?" Angel asks. Wesley nods from his place and looks from the white board to Angel.

"Working on some other leads. We all want the same thing, Angel. We're doing the best we can." Angel, looking down at his hands and then at the ceiling where directly above him his babies slept he gritted his teeth and replied.

"Do better."

"Angel!" Wesley cried, shocked.

"I promised their mother. No one is gonna put their hands on these children. No one," Angel promises before he turns to walk up the stairs. Cordelia sighs but claps her hands together and smiles at her friends.

"Well you heard him guys, chop chop!"

**††††††††††**

Holtz looks at the building as he holds a obituary in his hands. The first phase of his revenge is coming along, and only a part of him wonders if he is doing the right thing. The faces of his children and wife though leave him with little doubt. He was doing this to avenge their deaths, to let Caroline, Sarah, and Daniel Jr. finally rest in peace. A girl looking exactly like the picture on the obituary walks out, squinting at the bright sunlight. She lights a cigarette and walks off. Holtz follows after her. He turns a corner to see a barely smoked cigarette lying on the ground. He raises his hand to catch the girl's fist as she swings at him, having barely looked up in time to see or notice the girl's attack.

"Your punch could have been quicker - without so much to drink," Holtz told her.

"It's kind of a trade-off, because without that much to drink." The girl head-butts Holtz. "hurts a lot more," She finishes. Holtz sighs and tosses her against a nearby, parked car.

"You stick to the shadows."

"I'm not much of a day person." The girl takes a hold of a wood 2x4 lying on the ground next to her as she picks herself back up.

"I'm not here to fight," he says. The girl shrugs.

"Your bad luck." She swings at Holtz, but he easily evades her attack, and pushes her up against the wall of the building, his hand around her throat.

"I know you're in pain. I know what it's like to grieve." Holtz lets go of her. She lifts up a finger and taps him on the chin.

"Nice goatee. Kind of rounds out the whole creepy stalker look. I'll be moving on now." She turns to go.

"Justine!" he calls and she turns bck to face him. "I'm not finished."

"You know my name?" she asked. Holtz nods.

"I know everything. You live at seventeen twenty two Spaulding. You stay out all night. Sleep all day. Ever since your sister was murdered six months ago." Holtz unfolds the printout of the obituary and hands it to her. "Your twin. - It wasn't a mugging like the paper said, was it? Major blood loss, two unidentifiable neck wounds."

Justine looks at the picture of her sister and looks up at the man with cold eyes. Refusing to cry again.

"So?"

"My name is Holtz. I want to help you."

"I'll tell you what I want. I want you to stay the hell away from me," she says, getting into his face. Holtz watches as Justine walks off.

"Even if I knew the person responsible, who killed her?" he called after, smirking inwardly when she stopped abruptly.

"Who?" he smiled.

"His name is Angelus, but he goes by Angel now." What's a little white lie between allies?

**††††††††††**

"Get any sleep?" Cordelia asked as Angel came down the stairs. He was holding both babies in his arms, secured tightly to his chest. Angel, never taking his eyes off the baby replied.

"Nah, I was up all night watching them." Cordelia nodded. She was happy to see him taking his new found fatherhood seriously but she was worried he might end up hurting himself by not taking care of himself as well.

"You know, if you'd let us take shifts we could..." she began but was cut off by Angel.

"No, I wasn't watching them like that - I was just - watching them." Cordy smiles at her friend as he continues. They look a little bit like me, don't you think?"

Cordy chuckles and nods. "Oh, yeah. Look at that brow. He's a miniature you, the girl more so. Why don't you hand them over for a while, catch some shut eye," she suggested. She wasn't at all surprised when he shook his head, refusing and holding them tighter to him but she could see he was very careful with his strength as not to crush them.

"No. I'll sleep - when I know they're safe." Cordelia sighs.

"Which will be when? Around never? - Angel, I understand you wanna protect them - but you gotta let go a little. Share part of the responsibility. You can't be everything for them," Cordelia says, giving him a pitying look. She knew how hard this was going to be for Angel to realize but he had to. He was a vampire, he had limitations and his children did not. At least the boy didn't she wasn't so sure about their little blood drinking princess.

"I'm their only family. My job now is to be everything for them," he replied, a stoic expression on his face.

"Really? - Okay. Follow me. Come on." Cordelia takes a hold of Angel's elbow and leads him towards the garden court. Angel, never taking his eyes off the babies in his arms speaks.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Cordy leads him out of the Hyperion. Angel stops before they leave the shadows of the building.

"Cordelia..." Angel trails off shocked that she had almost led him into the sunlight.

"We're going outside, where your son and daughter is gonna wanna go play. Where you have to rush him or her to the hospital if he or she gets sick in the daytime. But I see your point. You can't go outside during the day like other parents because - you're a vampire. And even if you weren't - you can't do everything for him." Cordelia looks sadly at him and Angel, looking down at the babies he positions them into his left elbow and arms, thanking god they were small babies, he stretches one hand out into the sunlight.

"If he has to get to the hospital at noon - " Smoke starts to rise from his hand. "- on the sunniest day of the year, they'll get there -" Angel Looks at Cordy, his hand still smoldering in the sunlight. "even if I don't." Cordelia looks at him in slight horror and sighs.

"Angel -" She pushes his hand down into the shadow. " - stop, Angel..." Angel turns away and walks back into the Hyperion.

**††††††††††**

Angel gritted his teeth in anger as he walked into Linewood's Office. He walks up to Linwood, slices him across the cheek with a knife and then makes a bigger one and a bit deeper along his arm before he pushes him face down against the table.

"My son has a tiny scratch on his cheek and my daughter has a cut on her little arm, and now, by extraordinary coincidence so do you. I'm holding you personally responsible for _anything_ that happens to them whether it's your fault or not. Cold, sunburn, scratched knee, what ever happens to them, happens to you, and then some," Angel announces and pulls Linwood back up, pushes him back into his chair and leans over his desk.

"For not only are you not coming after them, your gonna make sure that he lives a long, healthy life. You just became their godfather, understand?" he sneers, glaring. Linewood gulps slightly and nods.

"I believe I do," he replies. Guards come in in response to the alarm that had went off before he had come into the office.

"Sir?"

"It's all right." Angel starts to leave but turns back around before he reaches the door.

"Oh, and one more thing: College fund? Start saving. I got my heart set on Notre Dame." Angel leaves and Linwood pulls himself back upright in his chair. Lilah pulls the handkerchief out of Gavin breast pocket and goes to dab at the scratch on Linwood's cheek – they both had been standing back and observing the interaction. Liliah couldn't help but feel amused as Angel took his frustrations out on Linewood. Linwood grabs the cloth from her and throws it down.

Angel didn't take much time to get to the hospital, but doesn't feel the need to rush to much as he knows his friends will take care of them. He couldn't help but feel Cordy had been right, he couldn't be everything for them and he had to let his friends help.

The doctor and two nurses' carrying the babies come back out into the waiting room as Wesley, Cordelia, Fred and Gunn all sit.

"I'm happy to report you have a healthy baby boy and girl. I did notice that the girl had a slower heart and lower temperature but as long as they don't get any lower then she should be fine. I would request that you monitor the heartbeat and temperature and if they get any lower then they already are then to bring her in for a check up."

"Oh, great. But I'm not the mother," Cordelia said, feeling a bit sad at this fact.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The Doctor turns to Fred. "I'm happy to report you have two healthy babies." Fred looks at him with wide brown eyes and shakes her head.

"Oh. I'm not the mother either."

"I'm afraid the mother is, ah, no longer in the picture," Wesley answered, looking slightly sad, wondering what the Doctor would assume.

"I see. Well, their height and weight are in the ninety percentile. We gave him his vitamin K and his PKU and he's doing very well. We don't seem to have their - what's their name?" Doctor. Higgens asked. Cordy and Wes look at each other, but were saved from answering when Angel walking in.

"Connor and Katherine. Their names are Connor Liam and Katherine Anne," he answers.

"Connor and Katherine. Thank you. Mr..." he looks at his papers and then back at the man. "...Angel. And congratulations." The nurse hands the babies to him and he smiles.

"Thanks." The Doctor and the nurse leave, as Angel smiles down at Connor and Kitty.

"Hey..." Angel looks up. "Mr. Angel?" Fred laughs nervously.

"Your first name is Liam," she answers.

"We had to tell them something," Cordelia told him, and he nodded.

"I don't know what to say," he said, smiling at his friends.

"How about thanks. I appreciate it. You guys rock. Way to go?" Cordelia asked, grinning. Angel looks up from Connor and Kitty's faces. "What she said." The double doors behind them open and Gunn comes back in in pushing an empty stroller.

"Got the best one a very small amount of money could buy," he said. They all 'ah.' and Angel hands Connor over to Cordy who puts him in the stroller. Angel them places Kitty beside her brother, thankfully they were small babies.

"Good thing they are small babies," Fred said smiling at the two babies. Angel nodded.

"Connor. That's a lovely name. I don't suppose you ever considered Wes..." Wesley began but Angel, Gunn and Cordy all turned to him and in unison spoke. "No."

"Not to be negative or anything, but - we're okay, right? Nobody else is coming after Connor, Kitty or us?" Fred asked.

"No. We're safe for the time being. - Let's go home. Nice stroller," Angel said, nodding at Gunn.

"Thank you." They walk out together, Fred and Gunn on the left, Cordy and Wes on the right, and Angel, pushing the stroller in the middle, both babies awake and making happy baby faces at nothing. What they didn't realize was the babies were giggling happily at something. That something was the lingering spirit of Darla saying goodbye to her children before passing on to the afterlife. Her one good deed earning her redemption.

"You'll do a fine job, my darling boy," Darla whispered before fading to nothing.


	3. Chapter 3: Couplet

**Miracle Girl**

**Chapter 3: Couplet **

Angel could hardly believe it had been almost a full month since his children were born and his world changed. He thought happiness was something he could never have but now he wasn't so sure. The only thing that was complicated for him was his mixed feelings for Cordelia. He found the young woman beautiful, fiery and blunt at the worst of times. All these things drew him to her but she did not seem to return his affections. The Groosalug showing up did not help things either. Smiling down at his two little miracles he comes down the stairs into the lobby. Wesley is moving about behind the reception counter and Angel smiles at the ex-watcher as he moves closer.

"Hey." Wesley looks up and smiles at the vampire.

"Morning."

"You, ah, you're the only one here?" Angel asks.

"So far. - How's young Connor and Kitty today?" he answers and Angel smiles at the two babies before nodding.

"they're good. Cordelia, she's - usually in by now, isn't she?" Wesley looks at him and nods, slightly confused.

"It's early. I imagine she and Groosalug where up late. They have a lot of catching up to do," he replies.

"Right. Ah. 'They.'" Angel goes to put Connor and Kitty down in matching bassinets in Wesley's office. Wesley looks at the brooding man and follows him.

"Actually, I was hoping you and I could talk before the others got here."

"Sure. What is it?" Angel asks, happy to get his thoughts off Cordy and Groo.

"Well - it's the fact of them. I know the sudden arrival was something we all needed a moment to digest. - Still, there are questions."

"You're suspicious," Angel stated thinking he was talking about Groo and Cordelia.

"'Cautious' might be a better word." Angel nods.

"You think he's evil."

"Evil?" Wesley asks, shocked.

"Okay, maybe not evil, but - he's definitely hiding something. Does he seem shorter to you?" Angel asks. Wes glances down into the bassinet and with confused eyes he look back up at Angel.

"We are both talking about Connor and Katherine, aren't we?" he asks. Angel blinks and looks down at his sleeping son before looking back at Wesley.

"What about Connor and Kitty?" Wesley sighs.

"They shouldn't exist."

"Their birth was foretold. How many people can say that?" Angel asks, his voice slightly raised.

" They have a role to play, that's true, but we still don't know what that role is. - Angel, we can't be afraid to ask the questions, because your enemies, _their _enemies, certainly won't be."

"You're right. We should be prepared." Wesely nods, smiling at the agreement.

"I'm glad you agree. However, with the loss of the Nyazian Prophecies, we'll probably have to look elsewhere for our answers." Angel nods, and looking at his two children he frowns. He didn't want his children to have a destiny in this life. He wanted them to be normal, to grow up and go to collage, start families. He didn't want them to be in prophecies. He knew though that people rarely got what they wanted.

"Well, we both know where those prophecies went. Maybe it's time to make another assault on Wolfram and Hart." Wesley shakes his head, even he knows that's not the best idea.

"That might not be necessary. Not yet, anyway. There should be other sources. Ancient works accumulate scholarship, commentary over the years."

"Huh. You think somebody else has already done the work for us." Angel states, realizing where Wes was going with this.

"That's my hope. I've been looking into it. I just... I felt you should know," Wesley answers.

"I wanna be involved, completely," Angel says.

"I need to get Kitty's bottle ready before long. I noticed she began to teethe a little. I guess her teeth are coming in which is odd. Arn't they supposed to be older then a month?" Angel asks. Wesley looks at Angel in shock and nods a perplexed look on his face.

"I see, it could be her vampire half. They may not even been her human teeth, or maybe she has fangs with her normal human teeth. We won't know until they grow in. You'll have to teach her that biting human isn't good when she is old enough to understand, you do realize?" Wesley asked. Angel sighed and looking down at his baby girl, who was at the time sleeping he nods. He worries sometimes about how much vampire Katherine had in her but he can smell her soul and knows she is good just like Connor. He wouldn't let either of them make the same mistakes as him, he would protect their souls.

"Involved with who?" Angel spins around to see Cordy put some stuff down on the reception counter, and walks out of Wes' office.

"You're here. And..." He looks to see Groo standing in front of the weapons cabinet, trying out one of the swords "... so is he." he says, annoyance in his voice.

"Angel. Your weapons are most impressive." Angel fakes a grin and nods.

**††††††††††**

Angel could hardly believe he was stuck with Groo. He held nothing big against the Goosalug but he didn't particularly like him either. Angel and Groo enter what looks like the water treatment plant Wes was talking about before they had left. The Senih'd drops off of some pipes behind them. Angel and Groo turn and attack the demon together. The Senih'd manages to disarm both of them fairly early into the fight, but neither Angel nor Groo let that slow them down. Angel is taking a bit more of a beating than Groo, but other than that they're doing about the same against the monster. Until it lets out a scream and breaks through the wall to escape into the sunny park outside.

Angel scrambles back out of the sunlight streaming in through the opening. Groo picks up his dropped sword, then holds out a hand to help Angel up.

"Come.," Groo says, not understanding that in this world Angel can not go into the sunlight. Angel just looks at Groo, not moving. Screams sound from outside, and Groo turns to run after the Senih'd. Angel slowly gets up and watches as Groo goes to rescue the young woman the Senih'd has grabbed. The demon tries to use the woman as a shield against Groo's sword, but Groo manages to knock them apart. Cordy, Wes, Gunn, and Fred come running over a rise in the park, just in time to see Groo catch the woman in one arm, while knocking the Senih'd down and stabbing it deep into the back of its neck. The demon dissolves into an oily black puddle that seeps away into the ground. Angel watches the rescued woman cling to Groo, and rolls his eyes slightly. So maybe he was a little jealous, not only could Groo give Cordy things he could not but he could save people in brod daylight, something he could never do.

Wesley nods, a smile on his face as he claps Groo on the shoulder. "Well, done." Angel watches as Cordy throws her arms around Groo, a big smile on her face.

"I must say, excellent work." The people in the park gather around them, applauding. Wes reaches out to pat Groo on the shoulder once again.

"Well done." Wes turns and looks towards the hole in the side of the building. He sees Angel standing in the shadows of it, watching them. He sighs, and walks over towards him.

"They seem to love him," Angel speaks. Wesley sighs.

"He isn't you though Angel. Groo is a hero in his own right but you've been through things that would have broken him beyond recognition. Come on I'll walk back to the hotel with you.

**††††††††††**

Angel couldn't believe it. Not only was Groosalug steeling Cordy and his team but he was now steeling his look. Sniffing he tried to block out what Wesley had said, they looked nothing alike. Nothing. Angel mutters under his breath

"He's wearing my clothes."

"Good fit," Wesley says. Groo smiles up at them. Angel returns the smile.

"Where's Cordelia?" Angel asks. Groo points to the office and he nods before walking towards it. Cordy gets up from Wes' chair as Angel walks into the office, a set smile on his face.

"Oh, good. You're back."

"He's wearing my clothes," Angel says, almost whining. Cordelia smiles holding in her amusement and laughter. She loves Angel, she does but she isn't Buffy and she won't let herself love him only to be crushed. She was no different then Ms. Slays a lot in that department, someday she wanted it all and Angel may not even Shanshu in her lifetime and if he did who was to say he didn't run off to Buffy leaving her heartbroken.

"What? Oh, yeah. I-I didn't think you'd mind. Turns out you guys are about the same size. I think he's a little taller. Looks great though, doesn't he? Angel, I need your help."

"What happened? - You had a vision?"

"What? Oh, no. No, it's nothing like that. Uhm. This is - personal." Angel raises and eyebrow before asking.

"What is it?"

"I wouldn't ask, except, ah, there's really no one else I can trust with this. It's something only you can do?" Angel puts his hands on Cordy's arms and leads her over to a chair before sitting down on the edge of the desk in front of her.

"Tell me." Cordy lets out a deep breath, hopping this didn't hurt him or her in the process.

"You've done so much for me already and... Well, this is just one more thing for the list, I guess."

"There is no list. You know that. Just - just tell me what I can do."

"I need you to help me have sex - with Groo." Angel slowly turns his head to look out into the lobby where Groo is standing talking to Wesley. Cordy grins at Groo behind Angel's back and waves. Groo waves and smiles back. Angel lifts a hand, wiggles his fingers a little and raises his eyebrows, while trying to smile back.

"I realized something today. - It's not the threat of losing the visions that's been keeping me from being close. - It's me. The Visions are just an excuse. I mean - there's always some excuse."_ 'like the fact that I love you but can never have you.'_ she thought after she said this.

"Right."

"I'm tired of being lonely," Cordelia said, tears brimming in her big hazel eyes.

"Yeah.," Angel muttered.

"So I worked it out."

"You did?"

"Yes! It was something Wesley said - a paranormal prophylactic. And that got me thinking. I couldn't be the only woman on earth that had some supernatural gift that could be lost through physical intimacy."

Angel frowned and nodded. "Stands to reason."

"So I started researching and anyway, I'm right. There is a potion, a protective potion. I take it and bang! I can."

"Hmm. A potion."

"Yeah. Anyway, this woman's name is Anita, and she's kind of in the business. Makes love potions, elixirs, things like that. She says she's got just the thing at this address." Cordy hands Angel a paper with a scribbled address.

"You want me to - get this for you."

"I went to my ATM, got cash." Hands Angel a wad of bills. "Nearly cleaned me out, but I think it's worth it."

"So you and Groo can..." Angel trails off.

Cordy nods smiling happily. "...com-shuck like bunnies. You betcha."

"Why don't you just send him?"

"I _am _sending him. He kind of insists on it, but that's why I need you."

"Huh?" Angel asks, confused.

"He doesn't know this world. I can't send him into a demon brothel all by himself! I mean, I trust him, but I'm not crazy," she answers. Angel takes a step back in shock.

"Brothel." Cordy follows him

"You'd be safe there. No woman's gonna tempt you, right?" Cordy asked, and regretted it as Angel looks down.

"R-right." Groo walks into the office.

"Are we ready?" he asks.

"I think so."

"We're most grateful for your help, Angel." Groo puts an arm around Angel's shoulder and pulls him close. "You've been a true friend to us both." Cordy laughs.

"Yeah." Cordy sighs and smiles at Groo hoping she was doing the right thing. Deep down she knew she was simply a coward running but she really had no choice. She and Angel just would not work, if they did fall into true love then there would always be the question of Buffy and his soul. The last thing she wanted was Angelus back.

**††††††††††**

Returning from the Brothel and the fight which had broken out was not the worst part of the day for Angel. He knew that as soon as he got back and gave Cordy the flask, he'd loose her for good. Part of him knew it was for the best but the selfish part wanted to keep her, he loved her. Not like he had loved Buffy but it was close, and possibly some day could be just like that. As Angel placed the flask into her outstretched hand he felt his heart break a little. Cordy takes it then grabs Groo by his shirt and pulls him up off the settee.

"Let's get our of here! See ya!" Cordelia yells. Cordy hurries Groo towards the exit doors of the Hyperion.

"Cordelia." Cordy stops and looks back at Angel.

"What?" When Angel only stands there, Cordy holds up a finger to Groo then walks back to Angel. Cordy, quietly and silently, hoping for a moment he was trying to stop her and maybe just maybe he feels the same for her that she felt for him.

"What is it?" she asks. Angel takes one of her hands and puts a roll off dollar bills tied with a string into it.

"What's this?" she asks.

"Just some money I saved up."

"Why? What for?" she asks, hopping it wasn't for the children. She couldn't take it and live with herself it was for their future education.

"I did something for you tonight. Now I want you to do something for me. - Don't come in tomorrow. In fact, don't come in for a couple of weeks. Take Groo some place - nice. Somewhere where there is - sun. - He'd like that."

"Angel..." she whispers, fighting back tears. She knows if she leaves now they may never get another chance but she can't let herself be hurt.

"Promise me." Cordy shakes her head a little as she looks down at the money, hitches one shoulder a little.

"Okay." Cordy turns to leave, then turns back and touches the hole in Angel's T-shirt where the tentacle went into his heart.

"You sure you don't need some patching up yourself?" she asks. Angel looks down at his chest and shakes his head.

"No, I - I'm good. Didn't hurt a bit." Cordy looks at him for a moment, then turns and walks out with Groo. As the door closes Wes comes out of his office. Angel looks at him then turns towards the stairs. He enters his childrens room and smiles as he sees Lorne is laying Connor and Kitty down into their cribs.

"Alright now. You get some rest, big boy and girl. Yes. You go to sleep. Get you nice and tucked in... yes." Lorne looks up as Angel walks up to them.

"Thanks for looking after them."

"Yeah. Sure." Gives Angel a look. "You okay?" he asks and Angel looks down at Connor and over at Katherine, a slight smile spreading over his face.

"Yeah." Lorne leaves as Angel keeps watching Connor and Kitty. He runs a hand over the baby's face and then does the same for Katherine.

"I'll always protect you two, we'll always have each other." Angel sighs and then leaves. Turing off the light as he goes. He walks downstairs as Wesley is writing **'the son'** on his notepad which he is staring at as Angel walks in.

"Working late?" he asks and Wesley looks up startled.

"Yes. - You startled me."

"Oh, I didn't mean to." Wesley nods and looks back at the notepad.

"I thought I was alone."

"Yeah." he looks up at the ceiling where his children are sleeping in the room above. "So did I," he says. Wes watches as Angel smiles with his eyes full of love and walks back out of the office. Wes lets out a sigh and looks back down at his notepad where he can read **'the father – will turn – the daughter - and kill - the son.'**

**††††††††††**

"Hotlz? How much longer do I have to wait until we kill Angel?" Justine asked as they stood watching their fighters fight. There were only a few of them, a handful really, but they were good. For humans, and very into their training. Holtz looked down at the young woman and smiled, not a very comforting one between friends but one passed between allies.

"Soon, very soon. The Seer has left now and Angel has lost his link to the Powers That Be. He is weaker without his Seer, the heart of his business. With her gone and the prophecies in the building and being tampered with it is only a matter of time before the Ex-Watcher acts on the news. Be patient Justine, your revenge will come soon," Holtz answered and Justine nodded smirking. She couldn't wait to hear the horror that would befall the Angel team and her sisters murderer will have been reduced to ash just like her sister had been.

**††††††††††**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long guys. I also like to say that I am sorry this chapter is so boring and short - I never liked this episode but I thought it was important to include. I hope it turned out ok, and not to boring. **


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